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Brian Lemke and Allysen Armenta (Canyon County Sheriff’s Office).
In a tragic case from Idaho, authorities are accusing a couple of attempting to hide the circumstances surrounding the death of their newborn, just 12 days old. According to court filings, the infant reportedly suffocated in a “filthy” trailer before being moved to a different location. Initially, the father, Brian Lemke, stated he discovered the baby unresponsive in a bassinet, but later admitted to officers that the mother, Allysen Armenta, accidentally rolled over on the child while asleep.
As revealed by court documents obtained by NBC affiliate KTVB, instead of notifying law enforcement immediately, Lemke and Armenta exchanged text messages following their child’s death. The pair now face multiple charges, including felony injury to a child, concealing evidence, failing to report a death in a timely manner, and obstruction of justice.
While the precise cause of the baby’s death remains uncertain, investigators suspect suffocation occurred within the trailer, which was reportedly cluttered with refuse, spoiled food, dirt, cigarette butts, and animal waste.
In a text message, Lemke allegedly conveyed distress to Armenta, writing, “What did I do? I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened, but it might be my fault. Are they saying SIDS?”
According to a press release shared on Facebook by the Nampa Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call placed by Lemke at around 3:32 a.m. on December 16. They arrived at a residence on the 300 block of Lone Star Road, where Lemke informed them of the baby’s death. At that time, Armenta was not present at the location.
“After further investigation by detectives, it was determined the infant passed away in a different location and was later moved into the house,” police say in reference to the trailer. “Officers also found the infant’s mother hiding in a camp trailer in the backyard. She was taken into custody without incident on an unrelated out-of-county warrant.”
Cops investigated the child’s death and Armenta was arrested again with Lemke on Monday. Court records show that the couple has multiple prior convictions for injuring children in Idaho. They had other kids removed from their home in recent years and placed in foster care, some for hazardous living conditions, KTVB reports.
The couple is scheduled to both appear in court next month for their preliminary hearings.